Mission One:Final Sanction
Deathwatch Space Marine / Battle Brothers of the Coven / Player Characters / Rafael / Missions 2 085 816.M41 to 2 106 816.M41 In the hours to come the light of the Emperor was erected again on Avalos. It originated from the void beyond the stars and manifested in St. Kasedrus. From there if engulfed the foul manifestations of the enemies of mankind and purged them with righteous fury. From the later history of the Orpheus Salient = The Great Devourer = Planet Fall What started as a search and destroy mission in the briefing room, transcended to a drop-pod ejected emergency landfall. Over Avalos our frigate Valiant was ambushed by Kraken-ships of the filthy abominations called Tyranids after an uneventful Warp-transfer. *2 hours before we made landfall on Avalos: long-range surface-scans showed a planet marked by war *18 minutes before landfall: Captain Haldrene of frigate Valiant sent us to our drop-pods *6 minutes before landfall: Valiant was attacked by three Kraken-ships *0 minutes before landfall: Valiant was destroyed Our coven dropped into an old chapel and right into a hot war-zone. As the doors of drop-pod V-0047 kicked open, we were surrounded by what was left of ancient, holy masonry. The remains of the roof and walls had been nearly levelled by our drop-pod landing as well as the heavy battle outside the chapel. While the thrusters cooled down and the dust settled, we quickly assessed the situation by auspex. A local PDF platoon pushed back hard and on the edge of the cliff the chapel was build on, defended their position and life against hordes of renegade militias. Our auto-senses went wild with heat-signals and heavy stubber signature. We left the chapel and entered the battle field through the portico of the edifice like Angels of Death and brought down the wrath of the God-Emperor on the rebel scum preying on the righteous. It took us ten minutes to break the deadlock and sent the enemy running. The local PDF under Captain Haldeme did the rest. A Warriors Handwriting During the process of information gathering and assessing we were approached by captain Haldeme who revealed himself as a Throne Agent of Inquisitor Kalistradi. Her name was Syndala, esteemed female assassin of the Temple Callidus. She had no idea where her fellow agents were to be found and she took the last command of her inquisitor to heart: she tried to help maintain order and control of the local PDF and in effect overtook the persona of a killed officer. Syndala gave us formidable inside information of the machinations behind the insurgence and the failings of the world's aristocracy. As it seemed, the Lord Governor Thorshold as well as the rest of the nobility had fled to relative security of the heavily defended Magistra District. The only sanctioned psyker in Lordsholm Astropath Elsharna had been safely locked away inside the House Of Echoes to the far east of Lordsholm and our position. She was closely watched by the Hollow Guard, a mind-wiped, dedicated elite combat unit loyal only to the Lord Governor himself. The most imminent problems were that Lordsholm Base, the main PDF basis located north to our position, was pressed hard by rebel troops, as was the remaining Portico District at large. The rebellion had initially spread from the so called Pit Of Filth, quickly overran the whole Callistra District and stood minutes before taking hold of the main PDF Supply Bunker, south of Portica District. The siege of Avalos Spaceport, south of our position, was fully under way and local PDF were fighting a desperate retreat. To keep things short, over the next two hours we decided to firstly take back Lordsholm Base, to get strength in PDF numbers, and be able to initiate long-range voxcasting capabilities to establish efficient communications. After that we conquered the Supply Bunker before making our run for the Avalos Spaceport, completing the pacification of the Portica District. It took us nearly two hours to spread the light of the God-Emperor. We retook three Basilisk Tremor siege cannons, debunked two creatures of the enemy in Lordsholm Base, killed a Genestealer in the battle of the Supply Base and exposed two more while breaking the siege on the Avalos Spaceport. After deploying forward sentry teams for reckon, securing all liberated installations and erecting a defence parameter in the south, we successfully had created a strong spearhead for further operations. Infiltrator As soon as imperial command structures where resurrected our coven left by boat for the Magistra District and the House Of Echos. Midway we lost contact with local PDF on Avalos Spaceport due to the not fully functional modar on Lordsholm Base.Through our pilot we established contact with PDF manning the defence perimeter around Magistra District. Despite our orders not to announce our arrival premature the information leaked out. Provided with transports by the PDF detachment that welcomed us at the shore we travelled through the inner city. It was strange to see the serene mood of the citizens when only a few kilometres away war raged in their beloved city. It seem they were completely oblivious to their near doom and the pestilence that infested their neighbourhood. At the governors palace we were greeted by the governess and her retinue personally. To our dismay Brother Seraphan smelled traces of the xenos filth pheromones. In an instance we were battle ready. We rounded up the frightened governess and her fellow dignitaries probing them for infestation. None of them had any traces of the enemies genes in them. The foreign procedure and the fierce way we handled the situation awed them into absolute obedience. They were frightened and relieved when we stated their purity. It was then that our Auspex found new traces in the inner halls of the palace. We took the governess in our midst and marched her though the crowded hall to the gates we were told to find the planetary governor of Avalos. We nearly crossed the mighty hall when the xenos showed its true nature. We had already noticed not only traces of pheromones but also physical evidence at the upper parts of the pillars and the ceiling. Traces of claws hacking into the massive stone structure for support of the creatures traversing the hall undetected by their human prey. In an act of last resort as it seemed they tried to stop us to reach the governor and attacked en mass. But we are the Emperors chosen, the mighty Astartes, second only to Him and His children, the might Primarchs. For five minutes the onslaught lasted and not one reached us alive. Our bolters took them apart often more than one at a time. Hellfire rounds ate away their very essence as they tried to reach our point of defence. It saddens me enormously to say that there were losses under His very children we were here to protect. They fled in mindless panic and some of them ran though our line of fire. As hard as we tried the xenos often used them as shield by running in their midst and hacking them apart in the last moment to attack us. I will amerce myself when our task is done for I am one of His chosen and I am bread and raised to my Primarchs image and therefore I am bread to protect every last human soul at the cost of my life. But war is eternal and the loss as bitter as it may taste does not have to affect my decisions or disturb my focus. Such things will allow the enemy in its endless forms to get closer to the very doorstep I am obliged to defend. As the sound of war resided from the mighty halls of the governors palace and the screams of the wounded and dying took its place instead, we marched down the last columns of pillars to reach the doors of the governors inner sanctum. It seems that a last line of defence was formed around that door. As dust settled the imperials defending their lord recognized as friends. The governess felt unconscious during the action and was handed over to the medicus at hand while we were allowed to see the Planetary Governor at last. Pompous in his clothes of rank and ringed by his stuff of tacticians and generals he welcomed us on Avalos and the great city of Lordsholm. Well, for my part I have to admit he was a little to confident about the victory we unquestionable were here to bring. As polite as possible I tried to righten his view on the situation at hand. As brother Seraphan had thought the governor and most of his tacticians and general he was oblivious to the circumstances outside the protective walls of the palace. Whatever my words were worth our Apothecary chose otherwise. As harsh as his adamantine fist he casted his words at the governor. He talk about executing the wretch for being insolent and oblivious to the situation at hand. As tempers cooled I took off to the House Of Echos to relay our message. My battle-brothers argued with tacticians and generals about how to defend and counter-attack best. I was transferred to my destination by an Chimera accompanied by a Sargent holding the key to open doors for me. Whispers Without Words The House Of Echos was a commanding building erected in a late gothic style. Arrays of masts sprouted out of its gargoyle ringed roof. The Aquila had its wings protective over the majestic porticus. Guards in dark heavy fatigues with mirrored helmets held a stoic watch. The Hollow Guard, elites with psychic conditioning I was told. They stood aside and the great doors swung open not before the codes my sargent brought were checked and rechecked. Inside the mighty building a flight of stairs took me to the vestry the psyker was waiting to receive me. Frost crusted doors swung open and I entered a chamber beautifully decorated with a high ceiling. I had to be directly underneath the buildings roof. Cold blue light shone through the high-arched windows depicting our beloved emperor and His beacon. The floor was marble inlaid with arcane symbols of pysker-craft. Their meanings completely lost to me. A large throne set at the centre of the room. A thicket of cables vanished in the floor around it. On its cushioned seat a female figure set, immobile like our beloved Emperor and through the astropath spoke to me no words crossed her beautiful lips. I was taken aback by her soft melodic voice. Every tone was beauty but of its icy after taste that lingered in my mind. A metallic taste filled my mouth and ice was building on my dear armour. I bowed to her and as polite as I could despite the strangeness I felt I asked her to relay a message to our fortress as we were told to. The warp seemed to be polluted already by the xenos filth background chatter because it took all her strength to relay the message. Aids in dark robes entered the ice-clad room to move the exhausted Elsharna hurriedly to her accommodations. I stood there for a little while longer and as I followed the aids tiny fragments of ice loosened from the joints of my armour tumbled to the floor. I headed for the chapel as my name was called by a voice I did not recognize. The voice was for real this time and as I turned a small girl was throwing herself on the floor in front of me. I knelled down to the fragile form reached out and helped her to a her feet again so she could look into my eyes. Those she avoided frightened but her voice was steady and calm. She was Elsharnas sister and was asked to relay a message on her behalf. It was a most sinister warning. On a heap of carcasses the lord of darkness rests underneath conduit beneath blazing air unseen by his children encompassed. Message relayed the girl hurried away and I was alone again. Considering her words carefully I decided there is one more reason to go to the chapel. On my way there I came by the Sargent accompany me. He looked quite shaken and his nose was bleeding freely. Psyker powers are not trifled with. Mankind is not meant to be in its wake. That is one of many reasons why we are here, why I am here - to protect the Imperium Of Man of such things unfathomable to so many of our beloved Emperors subjects. That is why I must be steel. That is why I must be his unbreakable tool. The sharp tip of a spear billions strong. That is why I am Astartes. That is why I am Deathwatch now. A Lord To Kill I met my battle-brothers back at the Lord-Governors palace learning that brother Arran had to tell an adventure of his own. A few minutes ago he tried to reach the House of Echos by the means of Chimera when his driver was killed by a sniper he failed to hunt to down in the chase that followed. Meanwhile brother Seraphan and brother Makrodon coordinated the deployment of the PDF forces left in the Magistra District. One recon team was sent to the Fabrica District to scout the situation near the so called Promethium Bridge. They never made it back. Last vox was a nondescriptive status-report. Two platoons were sent to secure the border between Fabrica District and Magistra District. Once they secured the premises they were ordered to push hard south-east to support the PDF forces pushing from the south out of Portica District to open a new line of attack on the Rag Markets and the Calistra District. We took a platoon strength of PDF out to the sea and embarked for the Fabrica District to open a new front on the southern edge of the Fabrica District. We anticipated that the mighty Solar And Sons Promethium Works was what Astropath Elsharna meant. We made landfall half an hour later. Instructing the PDF to build a bulkhead we sent one recon-team ahead of us into the sewers. Eventually we lost contact with them too. So we entered the sewers ourself. We made it through with a few enemy contacts, genestealers all of them. None was left alive. It seems we were closing in on our primary target. Outside the sewers an eerie silence dominated the scenery. Everywhere cars looked like left from one instance to another. There was no sign whatsoever of any human being. Except for one little girl. Weeping she dragged something after her looking like an oversized doll leaving a trail of dark smirk on the concrete. We decided she was a puppet controlled by the vile xenos filth to lure us into a trap. So we stealthily dismissed her and readied ourself to enter the main building. We were about to enter the main building of the promethium works. Our entrance did not stay secret for too long. We decided to infiltrate the construct from first level to avoid the obvious entry routes. On the balcony outside we were attacked by three more genestealers we killed outright with chainsword and bolter. Inside the building we were engulfed by a dark and noisy atmosphere of the plant itself. Cautious we descended into the depth of pipes via staircases and metal grills. We followed a trail of alien liquid down to the main tank of the plant. There we had contact again. Killing the beast we blew our cover and speedily advanced. Near the tank one of the main pipes had been ripped apart obviously with inhuman strength and no sign of tools nearby. Cautiously we entered and advanced through the hole and towards the tank a few meter ahead of us. What we saw inside the pipe was gruesome. The pipe looked like the lair of an incredibly hungry man-eating beast. Gears of war, human bones and flesh build a gory mess The air was humid and ripe with the smell of decay. We inched forward cautious not to slip. Every step we took human bone cracked and wet tissue gave way to our weight. The pipe stopped abruptly and fell away into darkness. Such Emperor forsaken was this place that brother Seraphan slipped and by doing so pushed brother Makrodon over the lip into the tank. They both landed on their feet but instantly stood up to their hip in human and alien gore alike. That instant the light of our beloved Emperor shone on brother Makrodon. He glimpsed a movement above him and opened up a relentless burst of bolter rounds. In the blink of an eye brother Seraphan was with him as was the heavy bolter of brother Arran. Covering their six I was attacked by two genestealers at the same time with no room for manoeuvre at all. Behind me on the lip of the pipe stood brother Arran and before me the killing flurry of claws closed in on me. Bad Trophies The battle that followed was swift and brutal as any battle could be. The Broodlord nearly killed our Apothecary and I would have died too was it not for brother Arran who shouldered me into the tank to get distance between me and the foul xenos. The sound of bolters and chainswords drowned the alien shrieks until there was nothing distinguishable left of the gruesome aliens. In the aftermath of the fight we found the powerarmour and insignia of inquisitor Kalistradi buried in the tanks gory innards. Primary Mission accomplished we left for the shore though we did not took the sewer but the streets above to reach it. The PDF were ordered forward to cleanse the place of supporters of the xenos and we drove back to the lord governors palace. At our arrival the severe situation was made clear by our appearance alone. One battle brother in a near-death state, one heavily wounded and all battle-worn. We met with Syndala to hand her the remains of her superior and thanked her for her cooperation. Now is the time for healing and prayers before our next task. Whether to defend the planet against the main-force of the xenos or leave for a completely different task at all. Emperor willing we have a few days to organize resistance until support is coming. I will recommend our team-leader for his bravery and cool-headed tactical decisions. The List Three days in our preparation for resisting the inevitable we were hailed to the House of Echos. A message came through. It was not what we had hoped for but in His decision we trust and we are His tools to execute them. I will spare you the details for they are harsh and real as the spores dropping on the very planet we came to rescue. We got only four Valkyries for extraction. So we ordered Syndala to make a list of worthy human assets to extract and told the Governor and his family to make ready for evacuation. We decided to bring the unconscious Astropath Elsharna with us for fear of information that could be extracted by the invading xenos filth. Even carefully composed the list Syndala brought before us listed way too many names. We had to break it down to the uttermost limit the four birds could muster and took twelve guards man with us to defend the four chimeras which transported the worthy to our rendezvous point - the Avalos Spaceport we retook a view days ago. Carnage Road It was a gruesome ride through a dying city on a forsaken planet. As thousands of spores lazily poured down from skies completely alive with alien clouds we fought our way through refugees and aliens alike. War is the credo I live by. To slay the enemy of mankind merciless and swift. To bring His light forth where He told me to. But sometimes it is hard to stand by His decisions unmoved like the unwavering Astronomicon. A task only the determined can endure. It has nothing to do with honour or glory. It is the ultimate test for your love to the golden throne. We lost men to friendly and alien fire alike. Sometimes the cruelty of collateral damage was mind-numbing to such an extend we have to enforce the poor souls to move on with brute force. Sometimes we had to kill our own before the all devouring xenos could feed on them alive. On the air field we deployed the forces at hand as best as we could and secured an area the birds could land. Our little nest of resistance was spotted the moment we secured it. The bone-grinding beast of war was loose and roared at the top of its lungs. In its small hours the Avalos Spaceport had its share of bloodshed unravelled since the late crusade. The seaward landing-strips were ablaze. The rail road tunnels collapsed in a deafening claps of thunder and the townward reaches were alive with bolter rounds and alien abominations. It was hardly enough to allow the remaining three Valkyries to take most of the worthies on board and leaf with screaming jets. = Against All Odds = Sitting Dug 2 092 816.M41 - 18:36:02, beneath us Avalos was dying and with it the human touch on its soil. Soon it would be another dead world left behind by the great devourer. On the imperial battlecruiser Destructor Divinatus we were greeted by the commanding echelon, foremost by captain Allesaunder Quinilli III and his master tactician Hadros. We were told that the small fleet was by no means able to attack a xenos host of that size. So far they were able to stay undetected by floating in silent mode in an uncharted debris field above Avalos. Well, the debris originated from the vessel we came here, the late Valiant. The magos biologis presumed that the massive radioactivity from the ships exploded warp drives shielded the small fleet from prying eyes of the xenos. Following a tactical assessment Brother Arran established a line of communications and protocols with the navis worthies and generals so we could concentrate on the task to come: to kill the balefully swollen mother ship. The data our late apothecary and Syndala were able to secure boosted the navis research on the xenos and made tactical data available in two thirds of the time predicted. Brother Makrodon sequestered the vast archives of the ship to help to identify the various ships and creatures of the enemy host. After two days the tacticians postulated that the bloated xenos ship was a Tiamat class ship used for planetary invasions. We simply called it the mother-ship. The size nearly one hundred kilometres from fin to tail it constantly gave birth to the xenos invasion force and was surrounded by a large host of Kraken-ships tiny compared to its vast size. While we played sitting dug in the radioactive debris field we supported the navis tactician with our considerable first-hand experience with the host and the pict feeds of our helm recorders. We oversaw the deployment of the ground forces and nuked one of the enemies - what we assumed to be a bio titan - before it could reach the vital Ideon Dam to the west of Lordsholm. The ground forces were under heavy sustained enemy fire. Nearly the whole fighter shield was lost on the first day of combat. Lordsholm temporarily lost control of its orbital defence canon and therefore suffered the most brutal city fights seen so far in the theatre. The Sanguinian Forty As losses piled we decided to recruit 40 veterans and shield them from the truth so their mind was undisturbed and focused on the task ahead of them. The 40 men and women were hand-picked by captain Argus Blade. Over a period of two weeks they were rigorously trained under the watchful eyes of Brother Arran and myself. We secured a vast part of the ships training facilities foremost those that could be used to simulate the hostile conditions we expected in the innards of the vast mother-ship. I trained with them, learned the names of every men and women and was next to their side to bolster their will and determination. Five days into the training I was able to establish a warriors bond between them. Its sole purpose to harden their will and determination when facing a foe they could not possibly overcome alive. They swore blood-brothers to each other and as the golden chalice circled through their ranks I sliced my palm as well. We renewed the warriors code they swore to the Emperor of Mankind and added the name of my Primarch to the oath. From now on till death they would fight for Him in the name of His beloved son Sanguinicus. Since that day there is a special badge on the wall of the ships chapel. It is titled The Sanguinian Forty. Crowned by a blood red droplet and a pair of angel wings is a list of names and ranks. The names refer to the forty men and women who gave their lives to save a planet from the great devourer in a heroic last stance. Beneath the list is a name and a date. It reads Avalos 2 106 816.M41. As the calculated time for the boarding action was about the forty stood ready to march into the jaws of hell. Before we left the three of us visited our deadly wounded brother. He slumbered in his stasis field. Not sure we would come back everyone of our coven left something behind and bode farewell. Arran left a Bolters shell, Makrodon a rocket of his infamous rocket "You Are Not Here Any More" launcher and I left my Blood pendant. Into The Unknown To cover our advance our little flotilla shot three volleys of torpedos. The first was to weaken the target area, the second to cover the boarding torpedos and a third as a distraction. The boarding action was unopposed the troops rallied as expected. We lost one sentinel due to the alien structure. It simply got stuck and we did not have the time to cut it loose. The structure of the ship was xenos by all means. There was a sense of up and down but not a straight corridor whatsoever. It resembled more or less the structure of bones enlarged under a microscope. Not one cavern was alike and the multitude of crossroads and tunnels of all different sizes was mind-numbing. The air was hot and damp. Every now and then a hot gust brought more moister like the one that sizzled on armour and weapons already. The surrounding structure had a wet soft coating over a adamantine hard bedrock. By the time our infiltration force had made it half an hour into the ship we were coated in a glossy wet residue. It made everything slick and it looks like our armour and gear was sweating. Every step was like stepping on fresh sliced meet. First Blood As we moved on we had sent two scouts ahead. They lasted for about ten minutes. As it turns out they moved into a defence mechanism we would encounter again and again in the next few hours. At first glance it looked like the walls had scales. But the scales looked very alive once you got near them. Every scale was a xenos creature of its own. They were of a very small bread with large hooks and razer-sharp teeth - many of them as the unfortunate found out. In the darkness they looked like fireflies moving along the walls at an exceptional fast rate of speed. Nothing our trained eyes and reflexes could not cope with. But with the liability of our imperial host it was something completely different. The fight was over in the blink of an eye thanks to the heavy fire sustained by the sentinels we brought along. Auto canons roared away and as distance dropped heavy flamers burned the remaining creatures to cinders. The surrounding and environment took its tall. After an hour we slowed down due to the rising temperature and the thick moisture. Even I began to sweat freely. In one of the breaks our vox operators got a weak distress call. It took them thirty minutes to triangle the source. It was about twelve kilometres away to our left. We decided to check it out after planting the bombs and moved on. Survival At that time our auspex was practically blind. Preysense, thermo- and infra-visions failed due to the heat backwash of the surrounding. It reminded us that we worked in an gigantic living thing. And we were reminded that it had an alien intelligence as a psychic impulse brutally cut through most of the imperial minds. Around us the humans screamed in pain and fell. At first it seemed it was only the psychic assault but soon it was clear that there were creatures too. A second later thin red mist was in the air and body parts covered the floor. The screams of the dying and wounded echoed along the living walls. It was nearly impossible to track the fast moving killers. Panic welled up in the imperial host and dangerous crossfire erupted as they began to fire at the unseen enemy. I could suppress panic and establish fighting discipline after a few seconds. They paired and started to lay down a punishing fire pattern. But not nearly enough to suppress the furious assault of the three tyranid warriors attacking us. At great cost each of my brothers killed one xenos. The third was killed in combined bravery of Argus Blade and Brother Arran. As it turned out there was a genestealer too. It was taken down by Argus Blade and a band of his guardsmen. The fight left us with half the men down and another walker lost to the xenos. We marched on adrenaline high and a strange hunger and rage in everyone of us. It seems that even we are not immune to the psychic abominations of the creature we are literally into. So we pressed on to fulfil His work - protect mankind of the xenos. The Lock The heat and moister got nearly unbearable. Our systems worked at their upper levels to suppress the environmental assault. It felt like the whole ship was aware of the intruders and like any other living thing tried to get rid of its germ. A few hundred meters before we could reach our destination the only way was blocked by three massive locks. They opened in measured intervals with some irregularities between. The locks through obviously build or grown of some biological matter like the rest of the ship where one meter thick and more than ten meters in diameter. The locks were partly submerged in liquid. The liquid had no physical effect on us or our gear. But our medicae estimated that no imperial soldier would last for more than ten minutes if completely submerged in it because of its high temperature. The liquid was well over 45 degree Celsius. A tactical decision was made. We set the first bomb in the vicinity of the locks. This task was undertaken by the imperial guard while Arran, Makrodon and four servitors would accompany me through the locks to venture as near as possible to our designated target zone. Scouting ahead I found the ground sloping down for about 20 meters before it levelled out again. The first servitor collapsed about 5 minutes into the liquid. The second and the third lasted a while longer. Only the fourth stood its ground. I helped him to carry the explosive for the better part of half an hour until the ground ascended again and emerged on a steep slope. Once out in the open again a psychic wave rippled over us so massive we took physical damage. Our ears and noses began to bleed and the servitor started to move like he had a stroke all of a sudden. Hive Mind A few steps more and we were on a ridge. We stood on the lip of a gigantic basin. The depression was criss-crossed by thick strands, each of them as massive as a thunderhawks main turret. They were intervened by smaller ones. Along the surface charges of intensive light zipped up and down. The more energetic ones made corposants on our armour and send a shiver down our spines. Everything pulsed with a distinct blue light. Above all that a creature slowly hovered. It seemed to be made out of light while the shape was that of a gigantic tyranid warrior. It evaporated fundamental hatred, hunger and malign wisdom centuries old. I guess it was the mind of the ship made corporeal. Like a mother it glided along the strands caressing them with its tendrils. It recognized us as soon as Arran tried to shoot it. His bolter rounds were reflected by an energy shield of some sort. It roared an inaudible cry that would have rendered any lesser man dead in an instance. But we are the Emperors chosen and do not succumb to xenos. It answered with a searing energy-beam. A small star lit up and missed Arran by half a hand. We decided that suicide was not an option and left the creature behind knowing that it would vanish with the ship or would try to kill us anyway. The Beacon We made good time and reached the lock in under half the time we needed to cover that very same distance a few minutes before. Passing the lock we saw traces of heavy fighting. The bomb was still intact so we moved on as swift as possible. The creature Arran had stirred was following us. We did not see it but we did feel its psychic wrath and saw the icy fingers of the warp reaching out for us. Heading for the beacon our vox officers found earlier we started off on the twelve kilometre run. We came by the grounds our first encounter with the tyranid warriors took place. Leaping over the dead friend and foe alike distance shrank away as we ran through corridors of filth and biological abnormalities. It took us a little more than a hour to cover the distance. Further on there was an other heavy battle fought. We saw it by the remains of our own and the parts of xenos creatures littering the floor. By my estimations there were not many of the guards left to reach the beacon. We took out a nest of those small filthy creatures we met at the beginning of our boarding action. We dived in them with righteous fury and left none alive. I lost count of the kills by the time I was through them. As it turns out the beacon was emitted by an old gunship. Resting in a wast swamp-like mass of organic and non-organic material it was heavily battered. On its open ramp rested a lonely figure. Its body was heavily disfigured by battle. The legs were off under its knees and multiple cuts and punctures were all over its upper torso. But it was still alive by the means of my helmet sensors. I jumped across the gulf of acid and slime to reach the small vessel. As it turns out the figure was captain Argus Blade. As my brethren arrived they helped me to take him in. By the time the hatch closed he was dead. To be a leader you have to endure, to be a hero you have to transgress. Argus Blade fought as last man standing true to His cause in the face of an overwhelming foe. No less was anticipated no less he did. To rebuild the galaxy in His name Argus Blade was one of His finest tools to do so. He shall be remembered on the planet he saved and beyond. Three Suns Our small vessel was ready for take off. And by all means it did. With its last explosive fired we broke free of the gigantic xenos ship. There was one last thing to do, one last act to perform. Together the three of us stood battered and wounded. Three adamantine fists clashed in our midst. Eyes locked on each other a predatory smirk on our lips we howled His name and three igniter transponders were pressed. As our voices thundered through the old vessels innards so did the destructive power of three nuclear devices in the xenos´ belly. Three small stars lit up in the darkened heavens over Avalos. Three stars that hailed the end of an invasion. = Epilog = Eve Of A Liberation A small vessel emerged from the belly of the mortally wounded beast. It plotted a course straight into the debris field and vanished in one of the imperial frigates. The battle over Avalos was backlit by the light of an untimely sunrise. It was not Avalos sun that exploded on the eve of the liberation but an imperial liberation force that transgressed into real space and deployed a punishing counter attack on the lethally wounded xenos. For two days the battle raged with renewed vigour in the skies above Avalos. Two days it took the Imperial Navi to hunt down every foe. Two month it took the imperial forces to annihilate the invaders planet-wide. Salvation Hill Three month later the sun rose above Lordsholm again. Its golden light touches the head of four mighty statues on Salvation Hill. Their faces set in a grim mask defying every threat the universe throws at them. Amidst them rests the rebuild Chapel of St. Kasedrus. Its roof made of adamantine plates carried down and applied from an unnamed debris field above Avalos. Within the chapels holy walls rests a majestic ashlar painted black covered in purity seals and prayer wavers. It is said that in times of great need the Lord Governor or one of his entourage holds the key to awaken the wrath of the mighty statues protecting the chapel. As later avalosian history tells, there is a special engraving on the right shin-plate of one of the stone warriors. It is titled The Sanguinian Forty. Crowned by a blood red droplet and a pair of angel wings it holds a special list of names and ranks. The names refer to the forty men and women who gave their lives to save a planet from the great devourer in a heroic last stance. Beneath the list is a name and a date. It reads Avalos 2 106 816.M41 Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light Category:Gallowglass Category:Coven Of Light